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Up Close and Personal... It Is Time To Get the DIY Pop Back Into the Punk with FRENCHIE!

with Contributing Writer Ashley ReyIt is time to get up on your feet and dance! Cutting through the angst filled side of pop punk FRENCHIE! is ready to bring his own brand and style along with a Sugar Free Red Bull... to your hometown! Check out what FRENCHIE has happening in his party scene and let the jam make you feel good!Ashley Rey: Danceable Pop Punk? How did you arrive at your style and creative presentation?FRENCHIE!: I just wanted to do something bigger and flashier! I just wanted to do something different, or at least truer to me. Almost a throwback to my old highschool days. Things in life can be such a bummer. I don’t like to dwell on sad stuff so much. Wallowing never made me feel any better. There is so much angst in pop punk, and while it definitely has its place, I’m just not that good at it! My songs can have some sadder subject matter, but I’ll try to put into a happier upbeat melody.

Ashley Rey: The single/video "Renegades" is very pop driven. The sound almost hits a pulse of being lighthearted. Where was the video filmed and who did you work with on the video production?FRENCHIE!: It is! I am super into pop music. I always veer to that side of pop punk. The video was filmed in a SUPER sweaty basement of a building where my band practices. We really wanted to do something polished but didn’t have a huge budget, so what ended up coming out really was actually a pretty good representation of us: polished but just rough enough to keep its edge. We came to Andrew Flemming (the director) and we didn’t have a concept or anything. We tossed around a couple ideas, and we couldn’t really decide on one that fit. Eventually we just decided to get a bunch of our homies and some super fans together and just play through the song a couple times and see what would happen. I was stoked when I saw the final product!

Ashley Rey: Atmosphere is everything. How important do you think it is nowadays, because you've been in the music making for a bit, to sell your product (song) with a video?FRENCHIE!: That is a really great question. I don’t think it is necessary, per se, because a good song is just a good a song no matter what. I do, however think that it really helps deliver some context, and can showcase who you are as an artist. like to think of it as add-on, like a little extra push to drive the point home. Plus it’s just fun! I try to play as active a role as I can in whatever art im submerging myself in, and you can choose to make the video an extension of your music or not. I chose to go with it. Music videos are a chance to showcase your style, your brand, your attitude, all that! So why not?

Ashley Rey: Sometimes preparedness meets opportunity. Do you sense that you have struck some kind of medium between the elements in sound/emotion in this sub genre? FRENCHIE!: I honestly do. I think rock guitars are about to break loose in the mainstream again. I’m ready to make the leap, and I think the world is ready too. Everybody is looking for something: The kids who like pop music want to feel something real, and the DIY kids want something bigger! Why can’t those two things coexist? Why can’t you make a song catchy with a ton of hooks be meaningful?

Ashley Rey: Since your sound leans more towards that pop side of lollipops, sugar cookies, rainbows and high energy... how do you set yourself up for writing to convey that force?FRENCHIE!: Honestly, it comes so naturally. I will try to sit down and write something completely different, and sometimes it works, but my sugary pop sensibility always takes over at some point. I can’t stay away! I try to surround myself with positive forces, and stuff that makes me happy! Stuff I own is almost always super cute pastel colors or at the very least contrasting colors. I love sugar-free Red Bull and Mountain Dew and candy, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Ashley Rey: You have without a doubt been on a journey to find not so much where you belong but more of what makes you feel. Would that be a correct assessment?FRENCHIE!: Absolutely! I have been very self aware for a long time. The songs that really mean something to me are the ones that make me feel something, whether it’s sadness, happiness, wonder, whatever! Songs can be just cool sounding songs, but why not take it further? When I write, I often hear so many different parts all at once; all the instruments coming together. I’m talking guitar, drums, strings, pianos, synths… whatever the case may be. Often times I hear a breakthrough like that in my head, and it hits me like a ton of bricks, and I can remember instances where it was like a tidal wave of emotion because the ideas I am having are finally taking shape and making sense. It is then my job to take that tidal wave, harness it, and make others feel it too.

Ashley Rey: Who have been some of your influences? FRENCHIE!: My influences are very vast. I grew up loving blink-182/New Found Glory/Green Day, but that certainly doesn’t define my tastes. I like to take influence from all genres. I love Chet Baker, Have Heart, Katy Perry, NOFX, ABBA, NWA, The Story So Far, Whitney Houston, MikeWillMadeIt… you can’t JUST like what’s in your genre, otherwise you get stuck.

Ashley Rey: With “Renegades" out and catching fire... what can we be looking forward to from FRENCHIE!?FRENCHIE!: We’ve got another video coming out this month, and two more before the end of the year! Then next year, more music! We’re also running an Instagram merch contest starting the end of August called ‘Merch Mondays”! Where you just repost our pic, tag five friends and then we randomly select a winner for a free shirt! Tour dates are always being added, so check out frenchieissohot.com for more details!

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